The Russian airstrikes did considerable damage to the Tabaqa Military Airport and Tabaqa National Hospital.

October 2, 2015 17:10 IST

At least 12 Islamic State terrorists were reportedly killed in a Russian airstrike on Thursday (1 October) in Raqqa, the de facto capital of the dreaded terror group in Syria.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Russian fighter jets carried out multiple raids on strategic targets around Raqqa. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of SOHR, told The Middle East Eye that 12 Isis fighters were killed in the raid at Tabaqa Airport, a military airport held by the Isis near Raqqa.

A fleet of Su-34 fighter jets was involved in the operation. In an official statement, Russian defence ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told RIA Novosti on Friday that a training camp and command post held by the Isis was destroyed near Raqqa.

Syrian sources on the ground claimed that the Russian airstrikes did considerable damage to the Tabaqa Military Airport and Tabaqa National Hospital.

Both facilities are of considerable importance to the Isis, as the airbase is used as its main training centre while the hospital is the primary headquarters of the terrorist group in Raqqa, according to Syrian news source Al-Masdar Al-'Arabi.